September 2012 – How quickly the fortunes of young players change. A little over a year ago, Brazil’s Under-20s won the World Cup in Colombia. Henrique Almeida scored five, picked up the Golden Boot and was voted best player of the tournament. Almeida was given a new improved contract at São Paulo but complained he wasn’t being given enough playing time. After a transfer to QPR fell through, the striker moved to Granada briefly and unsuccessfully and is now kicking his heels on the bench at Sport Recife. Almeida’s team mate with the Under-20s, Oscar, who for many was the real player of the tournament in Colombia, returned to Internacional with much less fuss. But Oscar’s performances had not gone unnoticed. The midfielder signed for Chelsea in July and has made an immediate impact including a sublime goal against Juventus in the Champions League.

While it’s still very early days, the signs are encouraging and Oscar just might go on to fulfil his potential. But signing youngsters remains a huge gamble. Getting in early to grab the next ‘teenage sensation’ might save a club millions in the short-term but it remains a risky policy. Despite the stringent measures clubs takes to help their signing evolve into an outstanding player, the success rate remains low and for one reason or another, countless ‘starlets’ simply do not progress.

At the end of 2009, Arsenal paid Fluminense £3.5 million for a 16-year-old Wellington Silva. But after almost three years on the books at Arsenal, Silva has yet to kick a ball for the club. The forward couldn’t get a UK work permit and went on loan to Spain’s Levante. He then moved to Spanish second division clubs Alcoyano and Ponferradina. Former Arsenal scout, Sandro Orlandelli, maintains Silva is one of the most talented players he’s seen and of course, the forward may still come good. But many Arsenal fans will be left wondering if he’s that good, what’s he doing in the Spanish second division and will the club get any real value out of Silva before his contract runs out?

Manchester United have also had their fingers burnt. They signed Rodrigo Possebon who was outstanding as an 18-year-old back in 2008. The move didn’t work out and he’s now with Criciúma in Brazil’s Série B. United also had forward Rafael Leão on a year’s trial with their reserves before he was released.

Scouting young players is an elaborate, time-consuming process, but sometimes it can pay off. Chelsea are fortunate that they have Piet de Visser as advisor to Roman Abramovich. The Dutchman is responsible for bringing the likes of Lucas Piazon to the club. In March 2011, Chelsea paid around £6.5 million to São Paulo for the striker who was then just 17 – a rather hefty fee for a player with a lot of potential and a good goal-scoring record but who hadn’t made a single appearance for the club’s first team. Piazon, however, has made rapid progress at Chelsea. He was voted their Young Player of the Year last season and made his debut for the Blues in their 6-0 thrashing of Wolves.

Premier League clubs are now focusing on Brazil more than ever before. Lucas Moura almost joined Manchester United before opting for moneybags PSG after they paid an exorbitant £34 million fee for the 19-year-old. Paulo Henrique Ganso was linked with numerous clubs before he made the switch from Santos to São Paulo last week. Tottenham came close to picking up Leandro Damião from Internacional but in the end were put off by the Brazilian club’s asking price. Spurs and Manchester United may have missed out this time round but there are other potential Mouras, Gansos and Damiãos out there. Brazil keeps churning out gifted youngsters and below are five more.

São Paulo forward, Ademilson, has just broken into the first team at the Morumbi. The 18-year-old came to fame after scoring five for Brazil’s Under17s in Mexico last year. Lucas Moura’s prolonged stint with Brazil and Luis Fabiano’s absence through injury or suspension opened the way for Ademilson with São Paulo’s pros earlier than expected. Three goals for the senior side is just a sign of what the diminutive striker is capable of and Ademilson is now expected to fill Moura’s boots when the midfielder switches to PSG in January. The number eleven works hard for his team. But pace and his ability to turn a defender are his chief assets; skills that could turn Ademilson into a first-rate goal poacher.

Expert’s opinion: Felipe Brisollais a sports reporter for TV Globo and SporTV in São Paulo. He says: “Ademilson is a modern forward. He makes up for his lack of height with his mobility, excellent finishing and ability to play with his back to goal. Ademilson has a big future ahead of him”. And TV Globo commentator Caio Ribeiro says: “He’s a speedy forward that knows how to score goals. Ademilson has constantly been called up to Brazil’s junior teams and has a great future ahead of him. The player came into the first team at São Paulo when Luis Fabiano, Lucas Moura and Osvaldo were unavailable, but he still made an impact. Ademilson has potential, but needs a bit more experience. But he’s very talented indeed”.

Adryan Oliveira Tavares is a Flamengo youth product and has always been regarded as a player of huge potential. After helping Fla lift the Copa São Paulo de Juniores (Brazil’s most prestigious youth cup) in 2011, he then stood out in the Under-17 World Cup in Mexico with Brazil. The midfielder made his professional debut for Flamengo in the same year. But it’s only this season that the 17-year-old is getting a real run out with the pros and he’s making the most of the opportunity.

The midfielder has a contract with the Rio side until 2014. Any transfer within Brazil is expected to be around €9 million. The figure rises to €13 million if he moves abroad. Flamengo own 80% of Adyran’s economic rights. The rest is divided between his father, Antônio, and the player’s agent, Rodrigo Pitta.

Expert’s opinion – Luis Roberto is a football commentator at TV Globo and is based in Rio de Janeiro. He says: “Baby-faced but with technical ability and very alert. Adryan’s one of those old-fashioned number tens. He came up at Zico’s Flamengo and has already scored a Zico-esque free-kick. Perhaps a new disciple of the Galinho de Quintino [Zico] is emerging”.

The ‘dead-cert’ for the Campeonato Brasileirão’s ‘Young player of the year award’ is Atlético Mineiro’s Bernard. At only 1.62m and around 57kg, he’s lightweight. But his technical abilities, coupled with his tenacity and combative spirit, make Bernard a real handful and an exciting prospect. The attacking midfielder is an Atlético youth product and made his debut for the club as a makeshift right-back in March 2011. He then returned to the junior teams before establishing himself with the pros in his preferred position as a midfielder towards the backend of the Brasileirão that year. The arrival of former Brazil international, Ronaldinho, attracted a lot of media attention for Galo. The veteran’s presence and experience have also clearly benefitted Bernard and the pair have made Atlético a real force going forward. The 20-year-old was in Mano Menezes’ preliminary squad for the London Olympics but failed to make the final 18-man team. However, he got his first call-up to the senior side for the ‘friendlies’ against Argentina in September.

Expert’s opinion – Rogério Corrêa is a football commentator at TV Globo and SporTV and is based in Belo Horizonte. He says:“Bernard is small, quick, gifted and confident. He’s not the finished article but his passing and shooting are continually improving”.

Romarinho (no relation to Romário) excelled in this year’s Paulista league with minnows Bragantino and was voted the ‘Revelation of the tournament’. Corinthians snapped him up at the end of May with the intention of grooming the attacking midfielder for the future. But with the Musketeers resting their entire first team for Brasileirão games during their Libertadores campaign, Romarinho got his chance sooner than expected. Two goals against arch-enemies Palmeiras in June made him an instant hit. But after coming off the bench in the Bombonera, it was his nonchalant finish away at Boca Juniors in the Libertadores final first-leg that really put him on the map. Romarinho’s economic rights are believed to be split amongst the player (40%), his agent Carlos Leite (50%) and Bragantino (10%).

Expert’s opinion – Milton Leite is a football commentator at TV Globo and SporTV and is based in São Paulo. He says: “Romarinho is fast, talented and opportunistic. He seems fated to score fabulous goals in big games”.

Anyone currently turning out for Santos is forced to live in the shadow of super star Neymar. The Brazil international quite rightly hogs the limelight, but 16-year-old Victor Andrade may soon start to elbow his way into the picture. With Neymar on perpetual international duty with Brazil, and Santos struggling in front of goal, Victor Andrade was pushed into the firing line versus Fluminense in early June. It was an unremarkable debut. But since then, the teenager has adjusted to the rigours of the Brasileirão and his confidence has grown dramatically. He made his first start against Ponte Preta at the end of July and was mesmerizing. The forward scored his first goal against Cruzeiro in August. Earlier this month, he hit his second; a beauty versus Flamengo.

The player’s economic rights are shared by the club, who own 80%, and Victor’s family who have the remainder.

Expert’s opinion – Jota Junior is a football commentator at SporTV and is based in São Paulo. He says: “Victor Andrade’s still a boy. But he has a level of talent in his blood that few have when it comes to the art of playing football. Victor Andrade is destined to attract attention and is going to be a massive success.”

But can any light be shed on exactly what’s happening in Brazilian football that is causing such a poor output come the senior international level? I mean, talent talent talent, but Brazil have consistently underperformed since before the 2006 world cup. They seem to lack the creativity and sheer technical brilliance they once had. I know there’s a firmer focus on size and strength among Brazilian scouts nowadays, and has been since the late 90s. Are we seeing the results of such emphasis in the present day?
Or is this also a result of the arrogance many Brazilians (players and fans) seemed to have acquired with their success? What’s scary to me isn’t that Brazil has slid down the rankings, or even that they’re not winning major tournaments; it’s that Brazilian football seems to have lost it’s soul and in the meantime produced a batch of very overrated “stars”, example no.1 being Neymar. That was a bit of a ramble but I’d appreciate any of those questions being answered.